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privacy czar
DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)
Spelling variants:privacy tsar
n. — Administration, Politics, Law
informal title for a Privacy Commissioner.
Type: 5. Frequency — The term czar (or tzar) has become an informal title for governmental positions with great authority or absolute power in North America (see also OED-3, s.v. "tsar / czar (b.)", which is labelled "orig. U.S."). The figurative use of czar, the name of the Russian king until dethroned during the October Revolution of 1917, has a long history in the Canadian context for someone with far-reaching powers (see the 1935 quotation for "wheat czar". In Canada today, the compound noun privacy czar is most frequently used, as it serves as a less formal name for the position of Privacy Commissioner, and often appears in news headlines (see the 1980 quotation and the second 1990 quotation) and in less formal contexts. In contrast to what the name suggests, the Privacy Commissioner does not have legally binding powers but can only give recommendations to the House of Commons (see, e.g., the 2016 quotation).
COD-2 does not list the term.
COD-2 does not list the term.
See: Privacy Commissioner
Privacy czar is by far the more frequent form compared to privacy tsar, which is otherwise the more modern spelling.
Quotations
1935
[Early announcement is expected of the re-organization of the Canadian Wheat Board, which is handling for the Dominion Government the marketing of a $200,000,000 surplus of wheat. John I. McFarland, who for the past four years has been Canada's wheat czar, with control of the most spectacular wheat transactions in the world's history, arrived in the Capital today to discuss with members of the Federal Cabinet reorganization plans.]
1990
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney has come in for some harsh words from opposition MPs for nominating what one called his former "propaganda officer" to be Canada's new privacy czar.
1998
Expense accounts of backbench MLAs in Alberta are off-limits to anyone hoping to examine them through the province's access-to- information law, the province's privacy czar ruled yesterday.
2003
And she says she stands by her scathing audit, which found the scope of the abuses, cronyism, extravagance and misuse of taxpayers' funds uncovered during Radwanski's three-year tenure as privacy czar was beyond her "wildest dreams."
2006
Looking for New Year's resolutions? Canada's privacy czar has some advice. Resolve to protect your privacy.
"Polls have told us again and again that Canadians value their privacy," Jennifer Stoddard, the federal privacy commissioner, said in a statement.
2013
Canada's privacy czar has singled out several federal departments for their lacklustre approach to data breaches, citing a need for better reporting, security and tracking protocols.
2016
Canada's Privacy Czar: 'Sometimes the Government Goes Too Far'
On paper, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner is Canada’s top privacy watchdog, a mantle that exudes a “buck stops here” aura of authority.
The reality is pretty different.
When it comes to overseeing Canada’s cops and security agencies, the privacy commissioner is uncomfortably toothless. Although government policy dictates that all agencies and departments consult the privacy commissioner regarding any new initiatives that have privacy implications, that doesn’t always happen.
Canada's Privacy Czar: 'Sometimes the Government Goes Too Far'
On paper, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner is Canada’s top privacy watchdog, a mantle that exudes a “buck stops here” aura of authority.
The reality is pretty different.
When it comes to overseeing Canada’s cops and security agencies, the privacy commissioner is uncomfortably toothless. Although government policy dictates that all agencies and departments consult the privacy commissioner regarding any new initiatives that have privacy implications, that doesn’t always happen.
References
- COD-2
- OED-3
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